U.S.-Israel Strategic Cooperation:
Israeli Military Equipment Used by the U.S.

(Updated March 2015)

Common Laser Range Finder

Israel's Elbit Systems was awarded a $73.4 million, 15 year contract from the US Marine Corps in March 2015 to supply them with new laser systems. The new systems will assist Marines in concealed positions with imaging, range-finding, and and navigation through combat areas. This will allow the soldiers to acquire and dispatch targets from their concealed positions, significantly lessening the potential impact of a mistake and keeping the soldiers safe.

Skystar 180

Surveillance balloon manufactured for tactical surveillance, public safety, police, and military activities. Skystar 180's can provide surveillance for up to 1,000 square feet on one tank of helium, which lasts for approximately 72 hours. The Skystar 180 system is simple and intuitive, and can be fully operated by only two people. Israeli police have used these balloons and previous models to control riots and provide intel during times of conflict. The U.S. Army approved the Skystar 180 for purchase in March 2015, after a unit successfully completed the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment

ADM-141 TALD (Improved Tactical Air Launched Decoy)

Jet powered, unpiloted decoys look and maneuver
like an airplance. TALD's are used to confuse enemy radar and draw the
fire away from piloted aircraft so they can
perform their missions under "safer" conditions.
Earlier unpowered glider versions of the ITALD were used extensively
during the initial stages of the Gulf
War and in Bosnia.

Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System

This helmet-mounted display (HMD) system allows
fighter pilots to target enemy aircraft by using a display within
their helmet to guide the missiles at the target they are looking
at rather than having to maneuver their aircraft into an attack
position.

Reactive Armor Tiles

Developed by the IDF after the Yom Kippur War,
these tiles protect tanks and the soldiers within them. The tiles overlay
the tank's armor and have embedded explosives that detonate outward
when hit by missiles. The explosion destroys and repels the incoming
missile before it penetrates the tank's main armor. During the 1982
Lebanon war, not a single Israeli tank equipped with these tiles
was lost to enemy fire.

LITENING Targeting Pod

Litening is a navigation and targeting device
that enables aircraft to fly and target in bad weather and at night.
The Litening transforms older planes into round-the-clock fighters.
The Litening is equipped with two cameras - one uses heat sensors to
identify targets at night and during bad weather, while the second provides
powerful images from long-range distances during
the day. The U.S. Air National Guard, a quarter of whose fleet cannot
fly at night, has purchased the Litening to enhance the capabilities
of its F-16s. The Litening is also being purchased by the U.S. Marine
Corps.

AGM-142 Have Nap

Known as "the Popeye," this missile is used
to destroy targets, such as concrete military bunkers, with exceptional
precision from great distances. It is the only air-to-ground missile
that can be retargeted after launch. The United States uses the Popeye
on B-52 bombers. A small number of aircraft armed with the Popeye
were deployed to Europe for use in Kosovo.

UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)

The UAV has been one of the most
important factors enabling the United States to fight effectively with minimum casualties. The U.S. has one
of the largest fleets of Israeli-made UAVs which re used to identify
targets and assess bomb damage without putting pilots at risk. During
the Gulf War and Kosovo, Israeli-made Pioneer and Hunter
UAVs were used to stop hard-to-detect targets such as missile launchers,
artillery units and command and control bunkers.

Python-4 Air-to-Air Missile

The Python-4 is recognized as the world' most advanced
short-range air-to-air missile. Unlike other missiles of its kind, the
Python can fire at targets from any angle, not just those directly in
front of it. This gives it a much larger zone in which in can effectively
destroy enemy aircraft.

SIMON breach grenade

A rifle grenade designed to breach through doors. It is mainly used to access buildings
with locked or barricaded doors without endangering U.S. troops
or the people inside. A variant is currently in service with the United States army.

B300/SMAW Bunker-Busting Missile

This Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW) is a portable weapon for use in destroying deeply
buried and hardened concrete-reinforced bunkers. The
U.S. Marine Corps procured this missile for use in Iraq.

Other Systems

UZI Submachine Gun: The U.S. Secret
Service currently uses this automatic weapon.

Mine Plows: Armored plows attached to the front end
of tanks, enabling a tank to push land
mines aside

SINCGARS Communications: Most widely used tactical radio in the U.S. Army inventory.

Kfir Fighter Plane: This fighter was loaned to the United States
for use in simulated combat missions and training.

Helicopter Crash Survival Seats: Drastically
reduce the effects of a helicopter crash by absorbing much of the
crash's energy.

Night Targeting System (NTS): Used on Cobra attack helicopters to operate
day or night, in good and bad weather.

Cardom: 120mm Recoil mortar system using modern electronic navigation, self-positioning, and target acquisition.